Rosie Schaap: Trust the Story To Reveal the Structure

Rosie Schaap is the author of Drinking With Men, named one of 2013’s best books by Library Journal and NPR. A columnist for The New York Times Magazine from 2011 to 2017, she has also written for the paper’s book review, dining, opinion, sports, and travel sections, Food & Wine, Lucky Peach, and Saveur, among other publications. She is a contributor to This American Life, and her essays have appeared in many anthologies. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

Rosie Schaap

In this interview, Rosie discusses how her grief journey led to her new memoir, The Slow Road North, the role COVID played in shaping the book, and more.

Name: Rosie Schaap
Literary agent: Ashley Lopez, Waxman Literary
Book title: The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country
Publisher: Mariner Books
Release date: August 20, 2024
Genre/category: Memoir
Previous titles: Drinking With Men: A Memoir; Becoming a Sommelier
Elevator pitch: In a beautiful but unassuming seaside village in Northern Ireland—a place so often associated with sectarian conflict—I found the peace and the people I needed to contend with my grief over the losses of those I loved most.

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What prompted you to write this book?

Three things; 1. I had a powerful, long-lingering sense that I’d somehow “failed” at grieving by trying to postpone or ignore it, and an equally strong feeling that, after many visits to Ireland, I might find a better way to face and live with grief here—especially in Glenarm, a small, seaside village in the North that I had the good luck to happen upon during a reporting trip; 2. I also believed that there was a need for more literature about the experience of early widowhood—those of us who’ve lost our partners or spouses earlier in our lives than expected can feel quite unseen, even stigmatized; and 3. The better I got to know Glenarm and the people who live here, I knew that the village itself had poignant stories to tell of its own loss, grief, and resilience—and that these stories would inform and deepen my own.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I can’t resist a bit of Wordsworth here: “Five years have past; five summers, with the length/Of five long winters!” I wrote the first draft of my proposal in spring 2019—and here we are in late summer 2024. The main idea of the book—finding, in a small village in Northern Ireland, a place to grieve (and live) better—remained constant, but other elements changed. I thought Brexit would play a larger role in the book but, although its effects are felt, it was upstaged by COVID and the pandemic’s impact on daily life.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Let me tell you, it was a doozy. The publisher that acquired the book was bought by another publisher. My first (wonderful) editor left for another house. My second (also wonderful) editor took part in her union’s historic three-month strike—which I supported and am proud of her for taking part in, even if it meant a delay in publication. And there had already been delays at my own hand—which I attribute largely to writing during the worst of COVID, to writing about death and grief, and to writing about death and grief during the worst of COVID. Just as in life, the pandemic had an impact on many aspects of the book’s publication—from my own emotional and physical wellbeing to the realities of tighter printing schedules and the availability of supplies. A welcome surprise in the process was that I was included in the design process from the very start; I was asked to take photographs of Glenarm for the cover designer and artist, I was asked my opinion at every stage, and my suggestions were heard—and the design team couldn’t have done a lovelier job.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

The surprises emerged in the extraordinary stories and insights people in the village shared with me, in interviews, about their own lives, and losses and hopes. From the start, I didn’t want this book to be all about me, me, me—I knew there would be an oral history element to the book. and that other people’s voices were essential. After all, they’ve known Glenarm much longer and more deeply than I have. But the extent of their openness and generosity—even when talking about some of the hardest events in their lives—was profoundly beautiful to me.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

For readers who are drawn to it because they are struggling with grief in their own lives, I hope they find a compassionate and patient companion in the book (and in its author). For those who pick it up because they love reading about Ireland, I hope they’ll see and feel the beauty and complexity of a part of the island that is often overlooked. And I hope every reader will find enjoyment and entertainment; even in a book centered on grief, there are instances of joy and humor and glimmers of hope, and no matter the subject matter, readers always deserve to be entertained.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Trust the story to reveal the structure.

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